Archives for July 17, 2018

‘A former star in Hockey East for UMass-Lowell, Smith signed with the Sabres and played two games near the end of the 2016-17 season with one assist. Last season, his first full pro campaign, Smith had 17 goals and 27 assists for 44 points,, third on the team, in 57 games with the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League.’

‘Smith has two career National Hockey League games under his belt. He made his NHL debut at the tail-end of the 2016-17 campaign, where he registered his first career point in two games. Last year in his first full professional season, Smith racked up 44 points in 57 games with the Rochester Americans. His 44 points were good for third-best on the club.’

‘”The first time I had Rasmus Dahlin on the ice prior to development camp, I’d seen the first time he received and passed the puck with the poise and his posture. Right then and there, I turned to one of my colleagues and said, ‘Watch this.’ Never a flutter of the puck, everything was done clean and poised. A certain moment like that, on a simple skill, it jumps out at you right away. It’s usually those small parts that makes the big difference in the end. Right away, him handling the puck jumped out.”‘

‘Smith will likely have a chance to secure a bottom role this upcoming season with the big club, and he’ll be back for at least one more year after signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Sabres on Monday.’

‘After making his NHL debut with one assist in two games for the Sabres in 2016-17, Smith (5’11”, 181 lbs., 12/1/1994) completed his first full professional season in 2017-18 by tallying 44 points (17+27) in 57 AHL games with the Rochester Americans. His totals ranked third among Amerks skaters in points, tied for second in goals and tied for third in assists. Smith’s fast start in 2017-18 earned him a spot in the 2018 AHL All-Star Challenge, where he recorded five points (3+2) to earn Most Valuable Player honors.’